The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 144: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

] 30 THE MYSTERIES OF THE cCouRT. mansionin Albermarle Street; and upon mention- | was a put up affair. ing his name, he was at once shown into an elegant | the desperadoes must have received some positive This means, my lord, that breakfast- parlour where the no}leman was sipping his chocolate. The Marquis was in no particularly good humour after the adventure of the preceding evening,—that - adventure which had terminated in affording Ve- netia Trelawney so complete a triumph over him ; a ee ee ee eee but the appearance of Mr, Sampson suddenly cheered him somewhat—for he was instantaneously struck with a presentiment that the astute Bow Street officer had succeeded in the delicate enter- prise entrusted to him. “ Well, what news, Mr. Sampson ?” inquired the Marquis, hastily. | “Good, my Jord,” was the answer. discovered the authors of the outrage.” “Then upon my soul you are indeed deserving of the reputation which you have gained!” cried the Marquis. “ But sit down and tell me all about it.’ “fT have es ‘information beforehand to the effect that the Prince was to yisit Mrs. Owen’s house that night: and there- fore I came to the very natural conclusion that some one in that lady’s establishment was in league with the rascals. So, after I left your lordship last ‘Tuesday morning, I went and disguised my- self as a knife-grinder—blacked my face in such a way that my own mother, if alive, could not possi- bly have recognised ne—and made myself up, as it were, in such capital style that no disguise out of the many I have at times assumed was ever more complete. machine, with tinkering apparatus to boot: and I got a regular knife-grinding | knowing that knife-grinders must be jacks of all trades and mend keys, locks, and umbrellas, 1 made all necessary preparations. In fact, as | can mend a key about as well as I can talk Chinese or He- brew—which is, not at all—I filled a drawer in the rattle-trap machine with keys of all sorts, sizes, ‘ Would your lordship like to hear the course I | and descriptions. Thus provided at all points, I ">? adopted te terret out this matter: asked Larry, | took my way to Richmond, determined to iusinuate _ as he took a chair: “or shall I come to the point | myself somehow or another into conversation with ' issue.” 4°? at once “f am anxious to learn how you proceeded— very anxious,” said the Marquis: “ because if I had taken such a thing in hand, I should not have | known how on earth to take even the initiative step—-inuch less carry the affair to a suecessful “ ] can assure your lordship,” said Larry, “ that | I have not only met with some singular adventures | in following out this business, but have encoun- tered such a danger that it is next to a miracle [ should be here alive to tell your lordship all that - oceurred,” —_—. ——————_- “Then do tell me, Mr. Sampson,” exclaimed the nobleman, settling himself comfortably upon the sofa where he was half reclining. “1am just ina humour to require something exciting to cheer and interest me—something to divert my mind ——But of that no matter,” he observed, suddenly checking himself as he was about to give utterance , to the thoughts which were retrospecting to his adventure of the preceding evening with Miss Trelawney. “ And now go on: I am all attention.” * Well, my lord,’ began Larry Sampson, ‘I must remind your lordship that it was last ‘Tues- day morning you sent for me and told me of the outrage which had been perpetrated on his Royal Highness and yourself the night before. {£ must also bes your lordship to recollect that the par- eee ticulars you gave me relative to the extraordinary adventure of his Royal Highness with the lady, were meagre enough——” ** Because the Prince had only described the apartment very minutely to me, without giving me an equally detailed description of the lady herself whom he saw therein,” exclaimed the nobleman. * Nevertheless,” he added, “I was enabled to tell you, from the little the Prince did explain to me upon this point, that she was extremely beautiful —with light brown hair—dark eyes—and a fine shape,. But now go oi—and I will endeavour to ‘interrupt you as little as possible.” “From tle manner in which the outrage was perpetrated and the ample preparations evidently made for its execution on that particular night,” resumed Larry Sampson, ‘I felt convinced that it Mrs. Owen’s servants. good as that of an itinerant knife-crinder to go round to the back doors of houses and dfaw the domes- tics into a chat—that is to say, in country places. It would not do in London, where there are scareely —— « For there’s no pretence so | any back doors, or where the servants answer one » from the areas: but in the country it is quite otherwise. Well, my lord, it was on Tuesday evening that I entered Richmond disguised as a knife-grinder, and wheeling the moveable shop be- fore me. I adopted the usual slang of the class— spoke wretched English—and played my part, 1 . flatter myself, to perfection, f£ sueceeded even better than I had expected: for when 1 got oppo- site Mrs. Owen’s mansion, whe should eome out but her livery-servant. He and I immediately got into conversation; and I saw itt a moment by | something in the fellow’s looks that he was a pre- cious rascal,” “What! John—Mrs. Owen’s footman?” ex- claimed the Marguis. “ Well, upon my soul, Mr. Sampson, I should not have thought it!” “] dare say not, my lord,’ observed the Bow | Street officer, in his quiet way. ‘ Your lordship is not accustomed to look so keenly and so ciusely at , people as lam. ‘There’s no mask a man puts on that [ can’t see through, But the evil opinion I formed of John the footman the instant 1 set eyes | upon him, was speedily contirmed by what he | » said —— * And he is the scoundrel who is in league with © the ruffians, then?” exclaimed the Marquis, “ Your lordship shall know all about it in a mo- mént,” said Larry. “Well, continue after your own fashion,” ob- served the nobleman, “I will endeavour not to) interrupt you any more:’—and he again settled | himself quietly upon the sofa. | * The fuotman, my lord,” continued Larry Samp- | son, “speedily engaged me in a conversation which | showed me what he was, but which I need not de-_ tail to your lordship, because it refers to some | other matter that I must still keep a sharp eye | upon. Ina word, I became convineed that Jolin was in league with the authors of the outrage per- petrated towards the Prince Regent and yonr | — ae ee CORME ODOC S): (E() eee eee oe + _—<-